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2/19/2019

Feb 18: was it Presidents' Day, Louis Riel Day, or Maud Lewis Day? Or all of these and more?

February 18th was a holiday for many people in North America, but depending on where you lived it was called something different and honored someone different. In at least one location, this difference is different EVERY year! Here are some of the differences...

In the United States, it was PRESIDENTS' DAY.


Washington's birthday sign, c. 1890–1899

And in Canada, it depended on the province you lived in... 


Beaver sculpture, over entrance to Centre Block of Canadian Parliament,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

 In British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and New Brunswick, it was FAMILY DAY.

 In Prince Edward Island, it was ISLANDER DAY.

 In Manitoba, it was LOUIS RIEL DAY. 

 In Nova Scotia, it was HERITAGE DAY with an honouree who changes every year... 

 In 2015, it was Viola Desmond Day.
In 2016, it was Joseph Howe Day. 
In 2017, it was Mi'kmaq Heritage Day. 
In 2018, it was Mona Louise Parsons Day.

 And this year it was, Maud Lewis Day - which if you've watched the movie about her called Maudie (starring Sally Hawkins as Maud Dowley Lewis and Ethan Hawk as her husband, Everett Lewis), you'll probably be saying (like I was saying): Hurrah, for Maud! Love her art and her plucky spirit. 
Maud in front of her one-room house & art studio.
Marshalltown, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Originally, I was going to write this blog only about Louis Riel Day because in my stories-in-progress, my heroines are Métis or métisse, but wow - learning about Nova Scotia's Heritage Day got me sidetracked. 

How did Nova Scotians choose whom to honor? 


 Well according to their website... 

 Primary to Grade 12 classes were invited to submit their suggestions for significant cultural and historical contributions that should be honoured during future Heritage Day celebrations. More than 75 submissions were received and reviewed by a three-member panel. From those submissions, a list of Heritage Day honourees was created. 

 Time for another Hurrah from me! I love that the kids led the way with the choices. To read more about Nova Scotia's past and future HERITAGE DAY honourees, CLICK HERE. 

 And now back to Louis Riel and his day (celebrated in Manitoba and chosen by Manitoba school students). 

Who was Louis Riel?


Louis David Riel was born October 22, 1844, in the Red River Colony in Rupert's Land (now mainly a part of Canada).

He was a politician and a founder of the province of Manitoba. He sought to preserve Métis rights and culture.

He led two rebellions against the government of Canada and its first post-Confederation prime minister, John A. Macdonald. The first rebellion was the Red River Rebellion of 1869–1870. 

His paternal grandparents were Jean Baptiste Riel L’Irlande and Marguerite Boucher. Marguerite’s father (Louis' great grandfather) was a fur trader who married a Dene Aboriginal woman. Marguerite was called "métisse" which was French for a woman of mixed ancestry. 
The Métis provisional government in 1870.
Front row, L-R: Robert O'Lone, Paul Proulx. Centre row, L-R: Pierre Poitras, John Bruce, Louis Riel, John O'Donoghue, François Dauphinais. Back row, L-R: Bonnet Tromage, Pierre de Lorme, Thomas Bunn, Xavier Page, Baptiste Beauchemin, Baptiste Tournond, Joseph Spence.

Who are the Métis people? 


 The Métis are recognized as one of Canada's aboriginal peoples under the Constitution Act of 1982, along with First Nations and Inuit peoples. 

 While the Métis initially developed as the mixed-race descendants of early unions between First Nations and colonial-era European settlers, within generations (particularly in central and western Canada), a distinct Métis culture developed. 

 The women in these early unions in eastern Canada were usually Wabanaki, Algonquin, and Menominee. In western Canada, they were Saulteaux, Cree, Ojibwe, Nakoda, and Dakota/Lakota, or of mixed descent from these peoples.

Who are the heroines in my stories-in-progress? 


 They are daughters of Cree mothers and Irish fathers. And why specifically Cree and Irish?

 Well, that's a topic for another time and another blog! Which (like this one) should probably be part of my North of the Border guest blog series (with myself as my guest) and me once again being inspired my something Canadian - this time holidays and history. 

 Hope you enjoyed this slice of Canadian history AND your holiday (if you had one) OR your workday (if you, like me, are self-employed and so every day is usually a workday). 

 Jacqui 
~ * ~

Fall in love with a new Old West... where the men are steadfast & the women are adventurous. 

You'll find Wild West scouts, spies, cardsharps, wilderness guides, and trick-riding superstars in my stories. Those are my heroines. Wait till you meet my heroes! My love for historical romance adventures with grit and passion came from watching Western movies while growing up on a cattle farm in northern Canada.

I've been nominated for over 20 awards and won the RWA® Golden Heart® & the Laramie® but my best reward is hearing from readers who have enjoyed my stories.


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1 comment:

  1. ptclaytonFebruary 20, 2019 at 11:51 AM

    Wonderful blog today Jacqui you never bore us and always give us fresh information that i wouldn't of thought to ask. ptclayton2@aol.com peggy clayton

    ReplyDelete